Improvement in voltaic piles or batteries



1.1,.PULVERMACHER- VOLTAIC PILES OR BATTERIES.

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UNITED STATES' PATENT Enron.

EDWARD HETHERI'NGTON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.`

IMPROVEMENT IN VOLTAIC PILES OR BATTERIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,273, dated May 9, 1876; application filed March 14, 1876. v

To all 'whom it may concern: Beit known that I, ISAAC LoUIs PULVER- MACHER, of London, England,have invented certain Improvements in Volta-Electric Batteries, of which the following is aspecifcation:

This invention has for its object theconstruction of1 voltaelectric batteries by meansl of' cone-shaped disks of' positive and negative metal, arranged upon a central stem; and it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the several parts, and their combination with each other, as will be hereinafter specied.

In the drawings, Figure l is a sectional View, showing a series of' copper and zinc plates, A B, mounted vupon a hollow central stem, C, which supplies the exciting liquid through slots corresponding with the elements, the zines being held in place within the hollows of the copper plates by means of pins, the heads and points of' which rest upon burredin shoulders of each copper plate ofthe series, the zinc being insulated, or preserved from contact with the copper, by means of threads or tissues of' an absorbent fibrous texture.

Figs. 2 and 3 represent, respectively, edge and plan views of' a plate ofl circular fbi-m, provided with tongues a a, projecting from the v edge, and prongs b b, turned at right angles on the same, to serve as hooks or claws f'or taking hold of' the corresponding plate of' the next element, when the said elements are separated farther apart for the production of quantity electricity of low tension, by bringing all or groups of' zines in contact, as well as all the copper, thus forming an element of' large surface, but which plates, as elements forming the battery in the ordinary position, are so arranged in proximity, and theclaws or prongs b b kept clearof the corresponding plates of thevneighborin g elements, as to maintain,when the elements are excited, electricity of high tension through the contact effected by bentiip tongues c c, as shown in Fig. 4, which arrangement will now be described.

1n thisl f'orm, which is represented in section, a series ot' dished or cone-shaped disks,

- of negative metal, A, and positive metal, B, is

arranged in voltaic order, in a superposed manner, the two disks of each pair having a film or tissue of fibrous material interposed, as before stated. Each negative, or it may be each positive, disk is slotted radially, as in Fig. 5, which may be done in Vthe stampingout process. From these disks the tongues c c, before mentioned, may be bent up at right angles, the same bei-ng situated4 at intervals,

tube, C, of rubber or other suitable material,

strained over a central corrugated 4or fluted stem, B, of rigid materialsay ebonite-to retain tli'e rubber tube in an erect,`nonyieldin-g condition. The flexible tubeni'ay be slitted, at intervals, by means otA a laiicet or some sharp instrument,the slits corresponding to the flutes or coi'rugations in the central stem, down which the exciting fluid can be caused to flow on pressure being applied to a charged ball or receptacle (not shown) on its free end.

The flutes or corrugations in the rigid stem or core D are so arraii ged in proportion' to the slits in the tube C that 'the `spray of liquid is diused through the whole of themso as to thoroughly meisten the fibrous material without waste. Should, however, the quantity of liquid-supplied be in excess, I provide a receptacle, E, at the bottom, into which the overflow can run, and from time to time be returned to the chargingy ball or receptacle, as desired. y If thread is used as the fibrous bodyT between the disks, I prefer to perf'orate the plate and sew it in in concentric rings, as shown in Fig. 6, the thickness o f' the thread being sufficient to prevent surface contact between the two metals of' the element, and to permit freey ac `cess of air at all times into'and between them.

I sometimes make my disks ot' threadwrapped wire, of negative metal, wound into a spiral f'orin until the proper diameter is attained, as in Fig. 7, leaving a suitable 0pei1- ing at the center to permit the disk to be slipped onto the central tube. l

For establishing voltac contact between these spirally-forined disks ot' one element with the dished zinc disks of the elementY beneath it, I provide the latter with metal prongs or tongues c, as in Fig. 8, fastened in the concave side ofthe disk. These prongs must be placed in contact with the wire of the spirallyformed disk between the thread-Wrappings of the same, or, rather, between the strands of the thread-wrapping. l

I have already obtained a patent for the within-described invention in Great Britain, which patent bears date November `16, 1874, No. 3,937.

- I claim- 1. The arrangement, as herein shown, of a` supplied with the exciting uid, and slitted or perforated to cause the passage of theexciting fluid from the tube to the absorbent material between the disks, the whole to form a battery, substantially as set forth.

2. Thecombinaniou ofa. flexible tube, o, and

a rigid uted or corrugated central core, D, l

.F, from the periphery to the center,V and threads sewed into it in concentric circles, as fully shown in the drawings, and for the purposes setforth.

5. In batteries formed of disks n ahouv centrall stem,`the disk shown in Fig. 7, coni structed of thread-wrapped wire, wound spirally until a suitable diameter is attained and an aperture left at the center to engage the central stem, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC LOUIS PULVERMACHER.

Witnesses:

H. GARDNER, E. EDMoNDs,

166 Fleet Street, London. 

